Suppose you're searching on Google for books about, oh, say, the design of electrical installations. You see links pop up showing book results from Google Book Search. It looks like you've found the perfect book, but you're not quite sure yet. You follow a link and see a page from a book with your search term highlighted. But you're still not sure it's the right book, and you want to see more. What do you do?

For many in-copyright books, such as the one Amutha's interested in, we show a limited preview of pages. In a limited preview, you can browse through a few pages without having to log in by using the navigation arrows at the top right of each book page:

These arrows allow you to page through the available preview pages. If you're browsing a book this way, we won't ask you for any further information.

However, other people, like Joudi, have asked about viewing specific pages:

I attempted to read this page, but I couldn't because you required detailed information. Can you help me?

When we ask you for information, it's because we have a mechanism in place to enforce the limits of the preview. That means that in many cases, we don't show you certain pages unless you're logged in to a Google Account. If you already have an account (like a Gmail or Google Groups account), you're all set -- just plug in your regular login info to continue browsing up to the limit of the preview. If you don't have an account, it's quick and easy to create one, and you'll have better access to the books you find.

But remember, even after you log in, you won't be able to see some pages of the book -- to protect authors and publishers, some portions will remain hidden at all times (it's what we sometimes call the "swiss cheese" effect).

If you've browsed up to the limit and you still want more, you can follow the links to buy the book or borrow it from your local library. Of course, you also have the option of searching specifically for books you can see in full view. Just select the "Full view" radio button on http://books.google.com -- you'll be able to page through the entire text of books that are either out of copyright or displayed in full at the request of the copyright holder.